"Chairman Williams: Guzman's Refusal to Speak to Congress is a Slap in the Face to the American Taxpayer"
Summary
A statement dated July 13, 2023 from Congressman Roger Williams (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, on SBA Administrator Guzman's refusal to testify before the full Committee. Williams states that the SBA Office of Inspector General released a report detailing over $200 billion in potentially fraudulent pandemic loans, and that the Administrator released a competing report putting the figure at $36 billion. According to the statement, Williams invited Guzman to testify alongside Inspector General Ware on July 13th and Guzman declined. A background section says the SBA OIG report, released June 27, 2023, was titled COVID-19 Pandemic EIDL and PPP Loan Fraud Landscape, describes a $164 billion discrepancy between the two estimates, and says Guzman cited scheduling conflicts.
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Full text
Chairman Williams: Guzman's Refusal to Speak to Congress is a Slap in the Face to the American Taxpayer Guzman's Refusal to Speak to Congress is a Slap in the Face to the American Taxpayer July 13, 2023 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Roger Williams (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, issued the following statement regarding SBA Administrator Guzman’s refusal to testify before the full Committee to address the contradicting reports on COVID-19 pandemic lending program fraud from the Small Business Administration and the SBA’s Office of Inspector General. “Two weeks ago, the SBA’s OIG released a report detailing over $200 billion worth of pandemic loans were potentially fraudulent. Later that day, Administrator Guzman released a competing report that minimized the theft from the taxpayers to only $36 billion dollars. Shortly after the release of the counter-report, I invited Administrator Guzman to testify alongside Inspector General Ware on July 13th to speak to the egregious discrepancy between the two reports. Surprisingly, Administrator Guzman declined to testify,” said Chairman Williams. “The refusal to speak to Congress on this discrepancy is a slap in the face to the American taxpayer. It is clear to me and my colleagues that Administrator Guzman does not share the same level of concern for the alleged $36 to $200 billion theft. While the Administrator is choosing to dedicate her time to other matters, this Committee will focus on solutions to recoup the stolen hundreds of billions of dollars for the American people.” Background: On June 27, 2023, the Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG) released its “COVID-19 Pandemic EIDL and PPP Loan Fraud Landscape” report, which alleged that $200 billion was potentially fraudulently disbursed through pandemic lending programs. Three hours later, the Small Business Administration reported their findings, which estimated the fraud in these programs is closer to $36 billion. To address this egregiously large $164 billion discrepancy, Chairman Williams invited SBA Administrator Guzman to testify alongside SBA Inspector General Ware in the previously scheduled full Committee hearing on July 13th. Administrator Guzman declined the invitation citing “scheduling conflicts.” The Committee believes the astronomical amount of potential fraud released by the SBA OIG warrants the Administrator’s presence.
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